Verizon Wireless raised more than a few eyebrows when it announced yesterday that it was going to give its customers the option to use wireless devices and applications not offered by the company on its network. During a conference call, the company’s President and CEO, Lowell C. McAdam, stated that Verizon Wireless was making this move to give the company a competitive advantage in addition to making sure that they continue to meet the needs of their customers since they believe they will no longer be able to do so with the company’s own portfolio of hardware and software alone.

Verizon Wireless will be hosting a conference and publishing technical standards in early 2008 which it will distribute to the development community to enable development of products which can use the Verizon Wireless network. Since this announcement will mean the possibility of more devices needing to be tested for use with the network the company made an additional investment into its US$20 million dollar testing lab. Verizon Wireless will allow any device to be activated on its network that meets minimum technical standards which includes basic network connectivity.

At this time, third party devices will need to be able to support the CDMA standard of the Verizon Wireless network in order to be activated. Verizon Wireless executives during the conference call also stated that the company is still considering what fourth generation technology it could one day move to which could open the door for other devices to be activated on the network including GSM-based iPhones if the company decides to move to fourth generation technology supporting the GSM standard.

Executives also stated that devices will be able to access all of the Verizon Wireless network meaning that the entire spectrum will be available to devices and applications. In regards to support of devices and applications, the company can be contacted to test the basic network connectivity of third party devices, but application testing will be up to the manufacturers of hardware devices.

When executives were asked during the conference call what this decision meant for Google’s announcement of their Open Handset Alliance and the new Android OS, it was stated that the news would now make it possible for Android OS-based devices to be on the Verizon Wireless network, but that the company had not made any firm decision regarding membership within the alliance. The new open Verizon Wireless network will also “open” the door to devices which are not just the traditional phone handsets. It will now be possible for other devices such as homes appliances to utilize the Verizon Wireless network for communication as well.

This is huge and I wouldn’t be surprised if other wireless carriers, such as Sprint Nextel, followed suit. There is no doubt that this move will give Verizon Wireless a competitive advantage. It also opens the door to a whole new category of wireless devices which include network appliances.

Just imagine that under this open door policy it would be possible for home appliances to make a wireless call requesting repair when an internal diagnostic finds a problem. How about a lock on a front door which opens with a security code and when that code is the one used by your child you receive a call stating they are home? Another possibility is a doorbell and intercom that automatically calls your cell phone when you are not home and someone is at your door.

Probably the most immediate impact this announcement has is on Google’s Android OS. Verizon Wireless was clear to make the stance that they weren’t in direct support of the Android OS and its associated alliance, at least not yet, but that this new announcement opens the door for Android OS based devices being allowed on the Verizon Wireless network. Not a ringing endorsement, but an endorsement by default nevertheless since it is a network an Android OS-based device can utilize.